1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a guard for attachment to a metal stud in the framework of a building wall to protect water pipes or electrical wiring in the wall from damage by screws or other fasteners that attach wallboard to the stud.
2. Prior Art
Heretofore, various guards have been proposed which straddle the wallboard-facing outer side of a metal stud in a building wall framework to protect water pipes or electrical wiring from damage by screws used to attach the wallboard to the stud. Some employ a resilient gripping action of the guard itself to hold the guard on the stud, e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 4,050,205 to Ligda, and FIGS. 11-18 of Nattel et al 5,359,151. Another way of attaching the guard to the stud is by using bendable elements on the guard to grip the stud: integral metal tabs on the guard in all embodiments of Nattel et al 5,359,151; exposed ends of a pressure sensitive adhesive tape on the guard of Zastrow et al 5,163,254.
Nattel et al 5,595,453 show a guard that fits inside the metal stud where it has an opening for passing a water pipe or wiring.
Guards designed for wooden studs are shown in Marquardt 4,924,646 and Heiman 3,211,824.